Bloody, but Unbowed
by Sodium Acetate
Summary: Gwen has to deal with her inner feelings as well as of those around her after suffering a terrible ordeal at the hands of Albedo. Contains rape, incest, torture, etc. I AM NOT TRYING TO GLORIFY RAPE! I ONLY SEEK TO DEPICT ITS EFFECTS ON WOMAN ACCURATELY. Praise and/or criticism is encouraged, so don't forget to say something by reviewing!
1. Innocence Lost

**Bloody, but Unbowed**

* * *

 _A/N:_ Title is taken from the poem _Invictus_ by William Henley. Inspired by Miroir Twin's _Inverted Lover_ which is an incredible story. First chapter is pretty similar, but will diverge later on.

 **Warning: Very dark story with Gwedo and Bwen. Contains rape, incest, violent acts, accusations of infidelity, torture, sadism, etc. You have been warned.**

* * *

 **Invictus**

 _Out of the night that covers me,_  
 _Black as the pit from pole to pole,_  
 _I thank whatever gods may be_  
 _For my unconquerable soul._

 _In the fell clutch of circumstance_  
 _I have not winced nor cried aloud._  
 _Under the bludgeonings of chance_  
 _My head is **bloody, but unbowed**._

 _Beyond this place of wrath and tears_  
 _Looms but the Horror of the shade,_  
 _And yet the menace of the years_  
 _Finds, and shall find me, unafraid._

 _It matters not how strait the gate,_  
 _How charged with punishments the scroll,_  
 _I am the master of my fate:_  
 _I am the captain of my soul._

* * *

Chapter 1: Innocence Lost

* * *

"Hey Kevin, I'm so glad you came to pick up Gwen for karate practice. Normally Ben would be the one, but he just called me to say his car was in the repair shop," Frank Tennyson smiled as he opened the door for the raven haired teen.

"No problem, Mr. Tennyson. I'll have her back safe and sound in no time at all."

"Thanks again for the help. I'll call her down." Frank shut the door as Kevin walked back to his green-black muscle car.

"Gwen, Kevin's here to take you to karate practice! Don't keep him waiting!" Frank called.

"Alright, I'll be just a minute!" Gwen yelled back.

A minute later, Gwen came down, already dressed in her gi.

"Wow honey, you look nice," Frank complimented.

"Thanks!"

'Kevin's just outside. Have fun at practice, and stay safe!" Frank said.

"Of course! I'll see you later, daddy." Gwen blew her father a kiss goodbye and made her way to the driveway where the muscle car was waiting. Kevin was tapping his fingers on the hood, looking quite bored with himself. At the sound of Gwen's sneakers on the pavement, he looked up.

"Hey babe, I like the robe," Kevin smirked. Gwen silently groaned for what she guessed was about the tenth time.

"Kevin, for the last time, it's not a robe! It's a gi!

"Which is Japanese for 'robe'," Kevin countered.

"Actually, it means 'dress'."

"Dress, robe, same thing. Now can you get in so I can get on with my life?"

"Care to remind me why I'm your girlfriend again?" Gwen asked sarcastically.

"Because I've got an irresistible charm."

Smiling, Gwen got into the passenger's seat. The ride to the dojo was uneventful,

"I'll be here in two hours to pick you up. "

"Alright. See ya!"

With one last kiss, Gwen walked into the dojo as Kevin drove away. She had hardly stepped onto the training floor when the sensei walked up to her.

"Gwendolyn Tennyson, a word with you in private please."

"Of course, but can't it wait until practice is over?"

"It's a rather personal topic that you may find embarrassing. I'd rather not let the other students know." Gwen's face reddened. _What could she have possibly done now?_

"Follow me." Without waiting for an answer, the master grabbed her by the forearm and steered her into the office. He closed the door.

"Sit down." Gwen sat in the chair that faced the desk. Sensei Fujiyama sat opposite her.

"Now, would you like coffee, milk or tea?"

"What?" Surely she had misunderstood.

"Coffee, milk or tea?" Fujiyama repeated, pointing to each in turn.

"Tea."

"Sugar?"

"No thank you."

"Suit yourself then," Fujiyama said, as he pushed the cup of tea towards Gwen. He took the milk for himself and made a great show of pretending to sip it. Gwen was quite thirsty as she had forgotten to drink before leaving home, so she quaffed her drink down.

"So, I take it that you have no idea why you're here?"

"No."

"Not even a guess?"

"Did the boy I punched in the nose yesterday suddenly die or something?"

"Good guess, but no. He did require a cast though."

"That's a relief. I was afraid I was going to get sued or something."

"No, no, no. You did well, in fact a bit too well."

"What do you mean?"

"You excel at everything you do. It's hurting the pride of those around you. They feel like they're worthless. I'm asking you to make some mistakes. Get yourself knocked down a couple of times."

"What kind of teacher are you then? What kind of teacher doesn't expect the very best from their students?"

"I agree with you on that one, Gwendolyn Tennyson. Said teacher would be very lame."

"Based on your comments, I think you qualify as that kind of teacher."

"Correct again, if I were a teacher that is. But I'm not."

"Sensei? What are you saying?"

"I've been living what you imbeciles may call a double life for the past few weeks," the sensei replied as he ripped off his ID mask. White hair and glowing red eyes were traits of the person that now stood in the sensei's place.

"Albedo?!" Gwen yelped.

"Hello Gwendolyn. Did you miss me?" the clone of her cousin asked, leering.

"Hardly," she snarled as her hands lit up pink. She tried to launch her mana disks at him, but found that she couldn't. Her face contorted in anger.

"What did you do to me?!"

"Nothing, it was all you. Apparently all your smarts were not good enough to detect the mickey I slipped in that drink of yours. Didn't they teach you never to trust strangers in school?"

"I-I thought you were my friend," Gwen gasped as whatever Albedo had slipped in there began to take effect.

"How touching. But alas, you thought wrong. Friendship is a two-way street. You may have felt some sort of bond with my pseudonym, but I have no such bond with you."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Gwen asked as she fell on the floor.

"I believe you have a little less than two hours to find out," Albedo said as Gwen slipped into unconsciousness. He picked up her limp body and walked into the practice room where the other students were waiting for him to begin the day's lesson. He had the ID mask on again.

"My dear students, Gwendolyn Tennyson has become severely injured, so I am taking her to the hospital. Nick will take over for me during my absence."

A brown haired teenager stepped forward.

"Arigato, Sensei. I will do my best."

Nodding, Albedo left the premises.

* * *

"Nuuhh…" Gwen groaned as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was in one of those abandoned warehouses once used by the Forever Knights. The walls were an ugly grey and the electricity was spotty at best as the lights kept flickering every few minutes. She tried to move her limbs, but then realized they were tied to a bed. Surprisingly, she was quite comfortable although the restraints proved to be a bother.

"You're awake," Albedo said simply as he loomed over her.

"Let me go this instant!" Gwen yelled at him.

"Or what? You're going to resist?" He laughed. "I'd like to see you try!"

Growling, she tried to prove him wrong by lighting up her hands. Raw power surged through her and she smiled.

"Oh you are so going to eat those words." Her restraint began to glow a violent purple.

"I think not," Albedo said confidently. The glowing suddenly stopped, and Gwen felt incredibly tired. It was as if all the energy had been drained out of her. It was then that she saw the little black box that was strapped to her right leg.

"What's this box doing on my leg?" she demanded.

"Why don't we find out?" was the reply.

Out came a remote for a radio-controlled car. Gwen almost cried out in relief when she saw the pathetic looking device, but quickly stopped herself as she came to grips with what the thing could possibly do in the hands of a Galvan. Especially an evil Galvan.

"I hear that young human children like to sometimes play with radio-controlled cars. Somehow it's supposed to teach them the basic maneuvers needed to operate a motor-vehicle, but I find that hard to comprehend…." Albedo trailed off.

"And your point in telling me this is?" Gwen snapped.

"Don't interrupt, young lady, or I will be forced to punish you sooner than you would like," Albedo said dangerously.

"Ha, what can you possibly do to me that I haven't yet been subjected to? Let's see… I've been thrown into buildings, attacked by swarms of insects, drained of happiness and mana, knocked unconscious, dropped into lava and acid, processed by aliens and briefly turned evil, and to top it off, killed twice!"

"I already know about all your little exploits and they mean nothing to me. All you have done is cheat death a couple of times. Well, what if I told you I know of a painful experience worse than death?"

"What can be worse than death?" Gwen whispered.

"Keeping your sanity afterwards. I hear a significant minority of your population cannot."

"Can you stop speaking in riddles and tell me what the hell you're talking about, damn it!" Gwen decided that this was an appropriate time to abandon her first cardinal rule on cursing.

"You should know since it's something your species appears to enjoy immensely. But why don't I just show you?" Albedo leered wickedly at her. His right hand slipped underneath her red sweater and began to unbutton her blouse.

"Albedo!" Gwen gasped. "I always knew you were creepy, but I never knew you were also a perverted bastard!"

"Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps after being trapped in your cousin's body for so long, I have begun to imitate some of his habits?" her cousin's double chortled as he unbuttoned the last button of her blouse.

"YOU'RE SICK IN THE HEAD!"

"Now, your cousin may not be willing to act upon his suppressed urgings, but I am not bound by the same limitations…"

"Why? Why do you feel you must do this to me?" Gwen asked.

"I have nothing against you personally, my dear. It is your cousin I want revenge on. But then I thought, what better way to get my revenge on Ben then by hurting the one he cares about the most? You see, the pain you are about to feel is both physical and psychological." He reached out with his hand to brush her fiery mane from her face. "Such a pretty face…" Albedo commented. "Too bad it just won't be the same after- OUCH!" Unbeknownst to him, Albedo had carelessly let his forearm wander a bit too close to Gwen's mouth. The girl wasted no time in taking a bite out of the tender flesh.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Albedo yelled as he roared in pain. Gwen spat out the chunk she took in his face.

"You taste disgusting," she remarked. He slapped her hard in the face and drew blood. She endured it in total silence.

"Whore, I will make you scream and beg before the night is over," Albedo vowed. Again he was met with silence. "Tut tut…that won't do…" Frowning, he pushed a button on his remote. The little black box on Gwen's leg lit up and sent painful shocks of electricity through her body. The Galvan grinned in satisfaction as he watched the redhead's pathetic attempts to suppress her screams. He slowly increased the voltage to maximum, causing Gwen to see white spots in front of her eyes. That's when the pain grew too much to bear.

"Albedo! Stop!"

"Do you agree to stop resisting my advances?" he asked.

"Yes! Yes! Just stop this! I can't bear it anymore!"

"No," he said simply.

"WHAT?!"

"You can endure for a little while longer, I think. Plus, I like to see you writhing in pain."

With a cry of shock, Gwen lost consciousness. Albedo looked down at her frail body which was covered in burn marks.

"Pitiful… Ben would have lasted much longer than you, but I suppose that's to be expected of you. Females are so weak." He walked over to a pail of water which he had specially prepared for moments like this and threw it on her. Gwen awoke to water in her lungs so she began to choke and sputter.

"I'm not done with you just yet, Gwenny. The fun part hasn't even begun yet!" Albedo laughed. Gwen winced at the use of her nickname.

"I'm not particularly looking forward to it," she said dully.

"I'm going to remove your restraints. If you attempt to make a move I don't like, you will suffer more pain than you have ever faced in your life. Understand?"

"Yes," Gwen said meekly. Albedo smiled.

"Good girl." But as soon as Albedo undid her restraints, she went back on her word. There was no way in hell she'd let anyone rape her that easily! But this time, Albedo didn't bother electrocuting her again. Instead, she was punched in the stomach so hard that she vomited in his face. That earned her two black eyes.

"And you said I was the disgusting one," Albedo commented as he wiped his face off with a dirty cloth before wiping hers as well.

"Thank you," Gwen said.

"That was solely so I wouldn't have to look at your disgusting vomit encrusted face," he fibbed. He was really concerned that she would choke on her own vomit, intentional or not. If she died, he wouldn't hear the end of it from her cousin.

Gwen was still quite disoriented from getting the stuffing knocked out of her from the punch to the stomach, so she offered little resistance when Albedo climbed on top of her and began to tear her clothes off. Off came her sweater, blouse, and bra in rapid succession.

"Hey!" Gwen yelped as she tried to shield her breasts from Albedo's view.

"Lower your hands," the albino told her.

"No! You have no right to look at me when I'm like this!"

"Let me make this crystal clear to you, human girl: Either you do as you are told or I make you do as you're told. I get what I came for in the end anyways. It's all up to you."

Gwen sighed in defeat. There was apparently no way she was going to get out of this without giving Albedo what he wanted. If she resisted his advances, he would just overpower and punish her. That's when she decided to lower her hands and offer herself to him.

"Wow, you are beautiful," Albedo complimented as he eyed her C-cup breasts compete with rosy pink nipples. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Really? Is this what all boys look at first when they're looking for a woman? The size of her chest? No wonder we've got a rape culture here!" Gwen said sarcastically.

"It is in perfect proportion to your not-yet-adult body," Albedo continued, completely ignoring her latest comment.

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Gwen yelled.

"But I wonder how it feels like? How it tastes like?"

"Stop talking to me like I'm some kind of object!"

"But you are an object… _my object_ ," he replied, addressing her for the first time. Gwen totally lost it at that. How dare he treat her as such?!

"I AM NOT YOUR OBJECT NOR AM I ANYONE ELSE'S OBJECT!"

Albedo's hand hovered over the infamous button, ready to punish her yet again. But then he thought of a much better idea. _It's about time she started screaming about me instead of at me._ So he started by cupping her right breast with his left hand and gently rubbing it back and forth. Gwen was caught by surprise.

"Mhhhmm," Gwen moaned.

"Such a smooth and delicate texture…" He increased the speed. Gwen moaned louder. She knew it was wrong, that she wasn't supposed to derive any pleasure from being forcibly masturbated, but it felt so good!

"S-s-stop!" she managed.

"But you know you want it, so why don't you just give in?"

"I-it's w-w-w-wrong and y-you k-k-now i-i-i-it- mhhhm." Albedo smirked. Both his hands were now busy at her chest area. While his left was still roughly kneading her right breast, his right was busy pinching and pulling at her left.

"Please stop!" she gasped in pain as he pulled particularly hard on her nipple. Albedo refused to listen. He replaced one hand with his mouth and moved the other hand down to the hem of her black mini-skirt. His hand slipped under the hem and rubbed against the cotton of her red panties. He discovered she was already damp there.

"MHHHMMM! MHHHHM!" Gwen moaned as his ministrations increased in both ferocity and speed. Albedo pushed the barrier aside and brushed up against her clit.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Gwen screamed for the first time as the pleasure overwhelmed her. Yet one orgasm was not enough to please Albedo. He wanted to use her until she lay utterly wasted beneath him. And so he continued.

"Stop! No more!" Gwen pleaded as she felt her second orgasm of the night rapidly approach. The hand between her legs grew bolder by the minute. Albedo decided it would be a much quicker and more intense second orgasm for her if he shoved his entire hand in her at once, so that's what he did.

"OH GOD!" She screamed as he buried his entire clenched fist inside of her vaginal canal without breaking her hymen. Albedo began to rapidly pump his hand in and out. Meanwhile, he was still sucking on her nipple for all he was worth. After only a minute of this, Gwen came for the second time.

"FUCK! I'M CUMMING!" she cursed. The vaginal walls around Albedo's hand tightened and a pearly white liquid gushed from it, coating his entire hand. His mouth was similarly filled with breast milk from his oral ministrations of her breasts.

"Now that was truly an exquisite experience," Albedo said as he swallowed the milk in his mouth and licked his hand clean of Gwen's juices. He looked over at Gwen to find the poor girl curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth.

"What have I done? What have I done?" she repeated.

"Enough!" Albedo bellowed. Gwen flinched at the sound of his voice.

"What? Am I that scary?" he asked as he climbed on top of her and ripped off the rest of her clothing.

"You don't have to do this, you know. You can let me go, and we can pretend none of this ever happened. I won't even tell Ben about it," Gwen said shakily as she knew what was going to happen next.

"I know," Albedo answered as the sound of a zipper being lowered registered in Gwen's head. _Oh God! This can't be happening to me!_ "But I want to, and unfortunately, you're in no position to stop it!" He positioned himself at her entrance.

"NO!" Gwen screamed, her fingernails raking Albedo across the face. He slugged her in the face with his free hand while his other hand tightened the restrains on her again. All the cartilage in her nose broke from the force of the impact with the fist. Warm blood gushed from her broken nose and into her mouth.

Rape. It was the one thing Gwendolyn Catherine Tennyson swore would never happen to her. It would be something one in six American women would face in their lifetime, but surely she wouldn't be one of them. She was different. They were weak, frightened, and defenseless. She was an anodite for crying out loud! Yet as Albedo savagely thrust into her for the first time, she became another statistic.

The physical pain wasn't the most terrible aspect of it. No, Albedo was absolutely correct. It was the mental and emotional pain that proved to be the most humiliating. Even though she knew this wasn't her cousin who was committing such an unspeakable sin, it might as well have been. After all, Ben's DNA was 99.99% identical to Albedo's. How could she ever look Ben in the eye again after what his clone did to her?

"My, my," Albedo said as his hips rammed into hers again and again. "Your cousin is well endowed. Tell me, are you enjoying that big hard cock in your tight little cunny?" his voice crackled as he employed a few of the choice words he had learned while watching pornographic videos in his free time. Not surprisingly, that was most of the time.

"Get off of me!" Gwen growled.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Kevin gritted his teeth in frustration as he dialed Gwen's number for the tenth time. Again, it went to her voicemail.

"Hello, you've reached Gwen Tennyson. Sorry, I'm not available at this time. If this is an urgent call, please contact my cousin Ben at (301)-***-****. Thank you."

"Pick up the damn phone woman!" Kevin cursed. He decided to call Ben.

"Hey Kevin, what's up?" Ben asked cheerfully.

"Gwen's not answering her phone, and it's been two hours since her lesson ended. She still hasn't shown up yet."

Ben laughed at Kevin's panicked voice. "Maybe she's staying late for extra practice? You know Gwen, Kevin. She's an overachiever."

"She never mentioned it to me. By all accounts, she indicated this was a normal practice."

"Have you tried tracking her plumber's badge?" Ben didn't seem so cheerful now.

"I can get a signal, so I know she's somewhere in the city, but I can't get a fix on exactly where she is. I think someone or something is jamming it."

"Ok. You're at the dojo, correct?"

"Yes."

"Have you tried talking to any of her fellow classmates? See what they know?"

"None of them would talk to me."

"What did you ask them?"

"I just walked up to them while they were leaving and asked where the hell they were hiding Gwen."

Ben sighed. "Kevin, you don't say that when you're asking for information."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Don't do anything. Just stay there and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

"Is it better to be raped by someone you hardly know or to be loved by your cousin?" The albino was still taunting her even as she lay beneath him, defenseless. It made her blood boil.

"NIETHER!" she screamed.

"Now, now. Am I really that different from Ben?" Albedo asked. Gwen froze. He _did_ sound exactly like Ben. Right down to the slightly cocky attitude Ben was famous for. No, she mustn't think that way. That monster hurting her wasn't her Ben.

"Stop it. I know you're not Ben, Albedo. Ben would never do this to me," she told him.

"Did Ben ever do this to you?"

A pair of icy hands suddenly closed in a vice like grip around her neck. The crazed look in his eyes only terrified her more as her breath slowly left her. Gwen was frightened by what she thought would be her last moments on Earth. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her heart raced a mile a minute as her left leg broke free from its shackles and conked Albedo in the nards. She thought that would be the end of it. That Albedo would surely let go of her. But she was mistaken. He didn't care her leg was free. He didn't feel any pain as she kicked him over and over again in exactly the same place. No, he only had eyes for her. He grinned as her kicks became weaker.

"BEN!" she choked. And suddenly her vision changed. Instead of a teen with white hair and red eyes, there on top of her was a boy with brown hair and green eyes. Instead of a monster, there was her cousin. It wasn't Albedo anymore. It was Ben.

"B-Ben?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, it's me. You're safe now."

"Oh Ben! He was doing horrible things to me! Just horrible…" Gwen sobbed.

"That's why I'm here to erase that memory," Ben snickered. So he plunged into her hot, slick womanly folds again. Her head hit the backboard more than once with a loud smack, enough to cause her to see stars, but she didn't care. It hardly mattered that the pleasure came from this wild, incestuous debauchery. For the first time today, she was truly happy.

"Say my name Gwen," Ben whispered as he continued to plow into her.

"Mhhhhm, Ben," she moaned, egging him on by calling out his name over and over again. She didn't quite understand why she let him do this to her. It was so wrong, but it felt so right. Her legs gripped his tightly as he rammed her against the metal of the bed. He subconsciously began nipping at her neck, leaving saliva and bruising across the front and side. The thrusts became deeper and more forceful and her cries louder as both cousins reached climax together.

Ben left Gwen on the dirty mattress, the semen pooling out between her legs. The lights that had been dimmed came on again and finally brought her out of her sick fantasy. Now she wanted to vomit.

"Take these," a now fully dressed Albedo instructed her. He thrust at her two pills and a box of tissues. Gwen took them with shaking hands.

"I'm giving you ten minutes to get dressed and get in the car. Otherwise you will walk," the albino told her. He left the warehouse to presumably go wait in his car.

It took Gwen more than six minutes to check out her injuries. There were more than she could count. Besides the blood from getting her hymen torn, there were also deep scratches on her thighs, bruising along her stomach, burn marks along her back, welts on her buttocks, bruises and bite marks on her breasts, and a trail of blood and saliva along her neck. Oh, not to mention the semen that was still dripping from between her legs. Gwen wiped off the blood and seminal fluid the best she could, but she knew it wasn't enough. There was no hiding the evidence of rape from her family.

Gwen sighed just wasn't her day it seemed. She quickly got back into her clothing and swallowed the pills Albedo had given her. He was waiting in the car to take her back to the school. It was awfully kind of him to do so until she remembered why he had to do so.

"Did you take the pills like I told you to?"

"Yes."

"Good. You won't bore your cousin offspring then."

They stopped a block from the dojo.

"I can't be seen with you or else your cousin will freak," Albedo explained to answer Gwen's confused look. "You'll have to walk the rest of the way."

Before Gwen got out of the car though, Albedo cut the little black box off her leg. It turned into a CD which he handed to her.

"I have a feeling we're going to meet again very soon, Gwendolyn. Until then, good day to you." Albedo slammed the door and drove off, leaving Gwen to hobble the one block to the dojo. Never before had she felt so much pain. Every step was a struggle. She was vaguely aware of falling down a couple of times, causing fresh bruises and bleeding on her arms and legs.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" a very frustrated and downright demonic boy with jet-black hair yelled as soon as she crawled over to him. That was Kevin.

"Kevin, I don't think you ought to go on her like that. Obviously she's been through a lot in the past few hours," a second, calmer voice attempted to reason with Kevin. That had to be Ben.

"Hospital," Gwen said before crumpling to the floor.

"GWEN!"


	2. Aftermath

**Bloody, but Unbowed**

* * *

Ch.2: Aftermath

* * *

 _An ice-cold hand slipped down the front of her blouse…_

 _"Shhh, just enjoy it," a voice said in response to her pitiful whimpers of shame._

 _"No, please…you don't have to do this," she begged._

 _"But I want to," the same voice replied. He grabbed her hips and thrust himself inside._

 _"Ben!" she screeched._

* * *

Gwen Tennyson was reliving her nightmare.

"Blimey, Gwen! What was that about? You nearly gave me a heart attack, you did!  
Ben exclaimed.

"What was what? I didn't say anything," Gwen said as she looked wildly around at her surroundings.

"You were screaming Ben's name in your sleep," Kevin muttered.

"Oh, was I?" Gwen blushed. "Must have been a bad dream then, ha-ha."

"Gwen," Ben asked gently, crouching down beside her bed. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine, thank you!" she snapped.

"Ahh, Mrs. Tennyson. You're finally awake. I thought I heard your voice," a middle-aged man said cheerfully. "Mind if I ask you a few questions in private?"

Questions? Private? Gwen was bewildered.

"My office, come on. Up you go." The man helped her out of bed and steered her into his office where he closed the door.

* * *

"Sit down, sit down," the man said, gesturing to a rather comfortable looking chaise-lounge.

"I am Dr. Tanner," the man continued. "I know all about you, Gwendolyn."

"What is it you've heard of me?" Gwen asked nervously.

"Oh nothing bad, nothing bad at all! First rate student, top of your karate class, part-time super heroine fighting alongside the great Ben Tennyson…" he trailed off.

"Yes?"

"Gwendolyn, I take it you know why you are here?"

"No."

"I know about your secret already, so there is no point in hiding it from me. I know you were raped. I knew from the moment they wheeled you in."

"Why tell me to come here with you in private if you already know?"

"I'd say you are in a state of denial right now. You don't want to accept the fact that you've been raped, and you don't want anyone to know either."

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do and all, but no thanks. I'm dealing with it in my own way."

"Are you contemplating suicide, Ms. Tennyson?"

"So what if I am?"

"You need support. If you aren't going to go to the police or your family because you are too embarrassed, I highly recommend Survivors Anonymous. It's a support group for survivors of rape and sexual assault."

"And no one will know I've been there?"

"It's all confidential. Just promise me you'll choose something. You can't conquer this on your own."

"Thank you. I'll try."

"It was nice meeting you, Gwendolyn. I hope you can find solace in the other survivors."

"It was a pleasure meeting you too, Dr. Tanner, and thanks again for the support!"

She hugged him and left the office.

* * *

"Well? What did the doctor say to you?" Kevin demanded as soon as she walked to the car.

"Kevin, it was private business. You have no right to ask me-"

"Whatever. Just get in the fucking car."

"Hey! Don't you dare talk to my cousin like that!" Ben exclaimed.

"Now! Or I'm leaving!"

"You know what, Kevin? I think Ben's more than happy to take me home," Gwen said quietly.

"I see how it is," Kevin muttered bitterly, clenching his fists.

"Excuse me?" Ben asked politely.

"You!" Kevin lashed out at Ben. "You've been messing with _my_ girlfriend, not to mention _your_ cousin, behind my back!"

"Kevin, you know it's not like that. I've never messed around with her."

"Don't," Kevin got into Ben's face, "lie to me you fucking perverted two-faced bastard!" he roared.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kevin," Ben said calmly.

"I see the way you two look at each other. Whenever Gwen and I are hurt, you always go to her first."

"That's because you're supposed to be a man. However strong Gwen may be, she's still a woman."

"And what about the time you two kissed under the mistletoe?"

"It was an accident, ok? And we apologized afterwards," Gwen said.

"LIES!" Kevin bellowed before punching Ben in the face. Ben fell over backwards and hit his head on the pavement.

"Ben!" Gwen squealed before running over to see if her cousin was alright. Kevin shook his head in disgust as he got back in his car.

"You can fuck your disgusting cousin for all I care you stupid whore! As of now, you and I are done!" Kevin slammed down hard on the accelerator and sped away.

"Ben! Are you ok?" Gwen asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Ben said, picking himself up and dusting his hands on his pants.

"You're bleeding," Gwen said.

"I'll manage. Besides, it's just a scratch."

"Maybe we ought to go back to the hospital and get you check out?"

"Seriously Gwen, I've been through a lot worse than this, and I've managed pretty well. You honestly think a half-hearted punch to the face is going to do me in?"

"No, but-"

"Anyways, you can stay over at my house tonight if you want. I've arranged it with mom and dad."

"Thanks! I could need the company now that, you know, Kevin and I aren't a thing anymore."

"Anything for my favorite cousin."

 _Abeo Exorior!_

A dome of mana enveloped the two teens and transported them to Ben's doorstep.

* * *

"Mom, dad! I'm home!"

"That was supposed to happen three hours ago…where in the world have you been?!" Sandra Tennyson screamed.

"Listen to me. I-"

"Do you know how worried your father and I were when you failed to answer the phone?"

"No, but-"

"We nearly called the police young man! We thought you had been kidnapped!"

"I was only-"

"What were you doing that was so important that you decided to ignore us completely?"

"Rescuing Gwen."

"Rescue? Gwen?"

"Yes, rescue, Gwen."

"I hardly think that is necessary. She's perfectly capable of handling any situation on her own!"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Nuuuh, want to sleep…so…tired…" Gwen groaned.

"Oh my God! Why are you covered in blood and dirt? Have you been lying on the ground?"

"Hang on, you haven't been mugged have you?" Carl Tennyson asked calmly.

"Call the police Carl! Oh Natalie is going to kill me when she finds out!" Sandra screamed hysterically.

"Guy, guys, why don't we all just calm down and ask Gwen later when she's conscious?" Ben suggested.

"What?" Sandra asked as if this were a ridiculous suggestion.

"Look at the state of her!" Ben said. Gwen was curled up on the hardwood floor shaking uncontrollably in her sleep. Whimpers could be heard ever-so-often.

"Alright, that settles it. We'll call the police tomorrow," Carl decided.

"But Gwen is seriously injured! We can't just leave her like this!" Sandra cried.

"We've been to the hospital already. They patched her up as best they could, but they couldn't find out what was wrong with her."

"Sleep is her only option now," Carl agreed. "I'll carry her to the guest room."

"No, I think she'd prefer to stay in my room tonight."

"Ben, there's only one bed…"

"I'll sleep on the floor then."

Ben gently picked up his cousin and slowly moved her up the stairs and into his room.

* * *

 _Later that night…_

"Where am I?" Gwen groaned, opening her eyes.

"Hey cuz, nice to see you're finally awake," Ben grinned.

"How long was I out?"

"Well, it's four in the morning so I'd say a good five hours."

"And why are you on the floor?"

"Well, you know there's only one bed and yeah…I thought you should have it since you're sick and all."

"I really don't mind sharing," Gwen smiled, blushing.

"But…"

"Oh get in here, doofus!" Gwen cried. She pulled Ben under the covers with her.

"Gwen! What do you think you're doing?!" Ben yelped.

"Getting comfortable," she replied as she wrapped his hands around her stomach area.

"Gwen…we really shouldn't be doing this…"

"I just need someone to keep me company."

"And this is the only way you could think of?" Ben asked incredulously. He was very uncomfortable in this awkward position.

"You're warm and I'm cold," she pouted.

"Ok, fine!" Ben grumbled.

"Thank you," Gwen said.

"Night, Gwen."

"G'night, Ben."

Soon, the two cousins drifted off to a much deserved slumber, holding each other close.

* * *

Was that a cute chapter or what? Kevin's broken up with Gwen in a rather explosive way, Gwen's agreed to join a support group, and we may have witnessed the beginning of a stronger bond between the two cousins! Read and review please! Constructive criticism is welcome!


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